Warriors head coach Mark Jackson discusses a call that went agains the Warriors in the first half. The Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 9, 2014.

Warriors head coach Mark Jackson discusses a call that went agains the Warriors in the first half. The Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 9, 2014.

Goran Dragic puts up a shot after drawing a foul against Draymond Green in the second half. Green fouled out on the play. The Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 9, 2014. less

Goran Dragic puts up a shot after drawing a foul against Draymond Green in the second half. Green fouled out on the play. The Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., ... more

David Lee and Stephen Curry battle for a rebound against Ish Smith, center, in the second half. The Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 9, 2014.

David Lee and Stephen Curry battle for a rebound against Ish Smith, center, in the second half. The Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 9, 2014.

But the All-Star point guard campaigned to stay on the floor, despite his cranky quadriceps.

Jackson sided with Curry, and he rewarded the decision with five points and six assists in a nine-minute, third-quarter stretch that quieted fears about his injury and led to an important 113-107 victory over Phoenix at a sold-out Oracle Arena.

"I always tell him I'm fine when he asks me - whether it was my ankle back in the day or something small like this," said Curry, who had 18 points and nine assists to one turnover in 30 minutes. "I'm surprised he still asks me, because he already knows the answer."

There were plenty of questions pregame, when about two hours before the opening tip, Jackson said Curry would have to play limited minutes because of a strained right quadriceps. Curry had left in the third quarter of Wednesday's victory at Boston, but he played 30 minutes against Atlanta on Friday, putting up 13 points and seven assists.

When the strain wasn't improving, Curry decided to get an MRI exam Saturday. He said he feels "tolerable" pain all of the time, and the pain increases later in games or when he sits for an extended time.

"There's potential - when that muscle fatigues - for other things to creep up, and that's what we're trying to avoid," Curry said.

Jackson said: "We'll keep an eye on him and stay on top of keeping him healthy - not just tonight, but also making sure he's as strong physically as possible when it really matters."

Curry said his injury didn't worsen during Sunday's game and he didn't show any definitive ill effects, moving well enough on defense to draw two charges and being especially demonstrative during a 16-0, third-quarter run that gave the Warriors a 90-75 lead.

The Warriors ended up needing the sizable lead, because Phoenix streaked its way back into the game. The Suns got a layup from Gerald Green (25 points) with 38.1 seconds remaining to trim the deficit to 111-107.

After a Klay Thompson missed three-pointer, Andre Iguodala soared for an offensive rebound and was fouled. Iguodala and Steve Blake missed four consecutive free throws in the final seconds, but the Suns couldn't complete their comeback because Green stepped out of bounds with his dribble on one possession and Marcus Morris air-balled a long three-point attempt.

That allowed the Warriors (40-24) to win for the ninth time in 11 tries since the All-Star break, moving to 2 1/2 games back of fifth-place Portland in the West and going up three games on the Suns (36-26), who have dropped into an eighth-place tie with Memphis.

Power forward David Lee led the way with 26 points and nine rebounds, Thompson added 22 points, and Draymond Green came off the bench for 13 points. The Suns got 24 points and six assists from Goran Dragic.

The Warriors shot 52.9 percent from the floor and dished out 27 assists. The squad known for its jump shooting did make 10 three-pointers, but the Warriors also choreographed brilliant ball movement and pounded the ball inside for 50 paint points.

"The guys had a sense of urgency. They understood how big this game was and realized that we had an opportunity to really take control of it," Jackson said. "I thought Steph did a great job of doing similar things to what they do - coming off high pick-and-rolls and making plays for himself or getting rid of the basketball, putting guys in position to score. I thought he really took over the game in the third quarter."